CMA's 4th Annual ER Report:
Uncompensated Emergency Care
Surpassed $600 Million in FY 2002
[Posted 09/21/04]

	Click on the image above to download the report. [1.3 mb PDF]

At a press conference Tuesday in Los Angeles, CMA leaders presented the association’s fourth annual financial report on the state’s emergency and trauma care system. The report found that uncompensated emergency care costs have continued to escalate dramatically, reaching $635 million in fiscal year 2002 (the most recent year for which data is available), up from $560 million in 2001—an 18 percent increase.

“This is an astonishing level of red ink and it shows no sign of abating,” said CMA President Robert Hertzka, M.D. “We all assume emergency care will be there when we need it, but these losses point to a crisis of extreme proportions and underlines the threat to emergency care around the state. We are all just a heart attack or a car accident away from needing that care.”

The financial crisis underscores the need for Prop. 67, the Emergency Medical Care Initiative. The ER crisis is being felt in every corner of the state, with emergency departments in large cities, small towns, and rural areas experiencing crippling losses, according to the data. Statewide, 79 percent of ERs lost money. Losses averaged $80 for every patient who received care in these emergency departments.

“CMA’s report solidifies what we know about California’s emergency care system—it is in shambles, and we cannot expect any system to continue to operate with such severe losses,” said CMA President-Elect Michael Sexton, M.D. “What is even more distressing is that the demand for treatment at emergency rooms and trauma centers continues to grow rapidly.”

Financial losses are largely responsible for the closure of more than 65 of the state’s emergency rooms in the last decade, 28 of them since January 1, 2000. As a result, jammed waiting rooms are common in ERs around the state as doctors and nurses struggle to triage the high volume of critically ill, sick, and injured who come through their doors every day.

	This window sign is just one way you can help us get the word out on Prop 67!

“CMA’s report demonstrates why there is such a desperate need for Prop. 67,” said CMA CEO Jack Lewin, M.D. “Physicians, we need your help to get the word to your patients, neighbors, families, and your friends: Vote ‘yes’ on Prop. 67.” Lewin also called on all hospital medical staffs to join other staffs that have contributed $5,000 to $10,000 to the campaign.

The initiative, which would increase the 911 surcharge to 3.7 percent on phone calls made within California, would raise $600 million a year to fund emergency and on-call care and ensure that Californians have access to high-quality emergency care no matter where they live or where they travel in the state.

Click here for more details on how you can get involved in the Prop. 67 campaign.

Contact: Peter Warren, 310/809-4381 or pwarren@cmanet.org.